Content Area(s): Life sciences, Technology Topic: Biofuel production Short description: Scientists could replicate panda bacteria enzyme for the fuel industries. With this, biofuels could be made from grasses or waste plant material instead of food crops.
Claim: An enzyme found in panda poop could be replicated to help convert plant matter to biofuel.
Keywords: biofuel, bacteria, enzyme Difficulty of Concept: Hard
MS-ESS3 Earth and Human Activity
MS-ESS3-3. Apply scientific principles to design a method for monitoring and minimizing a human impact on the environment.
MS-ETS1 Engineering Design
MS-ETS1-1. Define the criteria and constraints of a design problem with sufficient precision to ensure a successful solution, taking into account relevant scientific principles and potential impacts on people and the natural environment that may limit possible solutions.
Common Core State Standards Connections:
ELA/Literacy
RST.6-8.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts, attending to the precise details of explanations descriptions.
RST.6-8.8 Distinguish among facts and reasoned judgment based on research findings, and speculation in a text.
WHST.6-8.1 Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content.
WHST.6-8.9 Draw evidence from literary or informational text to support analysis, reflection and research.
SL.8.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions(one-on-one, in groups, teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 6 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
Topic of Game Introduction Video: Fact vs Opinion Description/Application of Game Introduction Video:
This brief movie is used to introduce the concept of facts before playing the scenario about the relationship between panda digestion and the creation of biofuels from non-food crops in the Reason Racer game. A fact is something that is observable, measurable, or verifiable and generally agreed upon as unchanging by the scientific community. Facts are used as evidence in scientific argumentation. It requires students to consider the facts given along with their sources when making a decision about accepting or rejecting a claim. Students could participate in a discussion about the difference between facts and opinions to gain a better understanding of what qualifies as good and bad evidence in support of a scientific claim. Link to Game Introduction Video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-S-79kxqTzI
Full Text of Article:
Believe it or not, panda poop may be the key to finding cleaner and more environmentally-friendly fuel. For a long time, engineers have been able to make fuel, called biofuel, from plants like sugarcane, soybeans, and corn. The problem is that humans can also use those plants for food, so using them for fuel is wasteful. Scientists have been unable to come up with a good way to use non-food plants, like grass or leaves. Until now, that is.
Drs. Ashli Brown and Candace Williams of Mississippi State University think they have a solution. There are lots of animals that can eat grass and leaves. These animals have bacteria in their stomachs that can convert these plants into sugars, which are used for energy. The best bacteria for the job seem to be the ones inside pandas! Pandas spend up to 16 hours each day eating a kind of grass called bamboo. Pandas have to eat so much because bamboo has so little nutrition, and their bacteria have to be very good at turning it into food.
"Our studies suggest that bacteria species in the panda intestine may be more efficient at breaking down plant materials than termite bacteria and may do so in a way that is better for biofuel manufacturing purposes," said Brown. She estimates they can convert 95% of plant mass into sugars.
This is good news, because bamboo grows very fast and in a variety of climates. If we can use the bacteria found in panda poop to convert bamboo into fuel, it may be the solution to some of our energy problems.
Title: Panda Poop
Content Area(s): Life sciences, TechnologyTopic: Biofuel production
Short description: Scientists could replicate panda bacteria enzyme for the fuel industries. With this, biofuels could be made from grasses or waste plant material instead of food crops.
Claim: An enzyme found in panda poop could be replicated to help convert plant matter to biofuel.
Keywords: biofuel, bacteria, enzyme
Difficulty of Concept: Hard
Reading Level (Pit Stop 8 Article):
Flesch Reading Ease: 62.9Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level: 8.8
Lexile: 1170
Next Generation Science Standards:
MS-ESS3 Earth and Human ActivityMS-ESS3-3. Apply scientific principles to design a method for monitoring and minimizing a human impact on the environment.
MS-ETS1 Engineering Design
MS-ETS1-1. Define the criteria and constraints of a design problem with sufficient precision to ensure a successful solution, taking into account relevant scientific principles and potential impacts on people and the natural environment that may limit possible solutions.
Common Core State Standards Connections:
ELA/LiteracyRST.6-8.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts, attending to the precise details of explanations descriptions.
RST.6-8.8 Distinguish among facts and reasoned judgment based on research findings, and speculation in a text.
WHST.6-8.1 Write arguments focused on discipline-specific content.
WHST.6-8.9 Draw evidence from literary or informational text to support analysis, reflection and research.
SL.8.1 Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions(one-on-one, in groups, teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 6 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.
Vocabulary Words: engineer, plant fiber, carbon-neutral, microbe, ethanol, cellulose, yeast
Topic of Game Introduction Video: Fact vs Opinion
Description/Application of Game Introduction Video:
This brief movie is used to introduce the concept of facts before playing the scenario about the relationship between panda digestion and the creation of biofuels from non-food crops in the Reason Racer game. A fact is something that is observable, measurable, or verifiable and generally agreed upon as unchanging by the scientific community. Facts are used as evidence in scientific argumentation. It requires students to consider the facts given along with their sources when making a decision about accepting or rejecting a claim. Students could participate in a discussion about the difference between facts and opinions to gain a better understanding of what qualifies as good and bad evidence in support of a scientific claim.
Link to Game Introduction Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-S-79kxqTzI
Full Text of Article:
Believe it or not, panda poop may be the key to finding cleaner and more environmentally-friendly fuel. For a long time, engineers have been able to make fuel, called biofuel, from plants like sugarcane, soybeans, and corn. The problem is that humans can also use those plants for food, so using them for fuel is wasteful. Scientists have been unable to come up with a good way to use non-food plants, like grass or leaves. Until now, that is.Drs. Ashli Brown and Candace Williams of Mississippi State University think they have a solution. There are lots of animals that can eat grass and leaves. These animals have bacteria in their stomachs that can convert these plants into sugars, which are used for energy. The best bacteria for the job seem to be the ones inside pandas! Pandas spend up to 16 hours each day eating a kind of grass called bamboo. Pandas have to eat so much because bamboo has so little nutrition, and their bacteria have to be very good at turning it into food.
"Our studies suggest that bacteria species in the panda intestine may be more efficient at breaking down plant materials than termite bacteria and may do so in a way that is better for biofuel manufacturing purposes," said Brown. She estimates they can convert 95% of plant mass into sugars.
This is good news, because bamboo grows very fast and in a variety of climates. If we can use the bacteria found in panda poop to convert bamboo into fuel, it may be the solution to some of our energy problems.
References/Sources:
Additional Content:
Author: Kathy Carlsen